Chapter 50: Helping Out

"FOOL!" An ethereal beauty snarled; the disgust painted on her face not taking away from her magnificence. "An utter moron. That country is doomed to fall." She continued on, venting to her maid that accompanied her inside a luxurious carriage.

Princess Alessandria was currently bounding down an unpaved road, rushing back to the Kingdom of Morgania. King Alexander had given her an impossible timeline of only a month to find the person or persons that had cursed him, and already, five days had passed. It would take her at least twenty days to return, and that was going at their current pace.

She was forced to leave much of her entourage behind, only taking with her the elite soldiers and her own personal guard. Being a smaller number of people, they were able to increase their speed, but it came at the cost of safety. Still, the soldiers numbered just over a hundred, and her personal guard was ten of the best female knights her kingdom had to offer.

Relaxing her contorted face, Princess Alessandria closed the wooden slat on the carriage that she was peering out of. The chilly night air had worked wonders in cooling her temper. "Sarah, how much longer until the next village?"

The maid, Sarah, answered quickly as she had studied the crude map of the Amine Kingdom quite extensively. "Only three more days at our current rate. Will we be resting there?"

They had been taking short rests throughout the return trip, but never more than what was necessary. It was imperative that they return as quickly as possible, but even she knew that a proper rest was needed, and soon. The soldiers would never complain, but even an untrained eye such as hers' could tell that they were on the verge of breaking down, the horses as well.

"Yes, I think it appropriate to rest properly there. We could have rested inside the village we had just passed, but something seemed quite off, didn't it?"

Nodding, Sarah agreed. "Indeed, it did Milady."

They had passed through a relatively large village much earlier in the day, she didn't bother to remember the name. The resident seemed to be on edge, rushing around and boarding up their houses, it struck her as very odd. She decided not to risk getting involved in any unnecessary trouble, so she ordered them to not even stop, just continue on.

Now it was well past the witching hour, they had been constantly traveling since the mid-afternoon sun. Princess Alessandria tried but failed to contain a large yawn. "Tell them to stop, we'll rest where we are until dawn."

Sarah nodded before turning around and sliding the window open, speaking a few words to the carriage driver. Soon enough, the carriage began to slow down, eventually stopping. Before Sarah could help her, Princess Alessandria exited the carriage into the frosty night air.

"Milady, please allow me." Sarah said in a fluster. It was her duty to do everything for the Princess, even opening doors for her.

Stretching in a very un-lady like fashion, Alessandria's joints audibly popped, sending a pleasant sensation through her sore body. "Sarah, please. I can do at least that much for myself."

Before Sarah could argue with the Princess, she was interrupted by a knight dressed in full armor. The knight was only slightly taller than the Princess and had no helmet on, revealing long brown hair braided tightly into a French bun. "Your Highness, we will have your shelter assembled momentarily."

Waving her delicate hand, Princess Alessandria refused her. "No need Lilly. I'll rest in the carriage after I stretch my limbs. There's no need to waste your time putting together a tent only to tear it down in a few hours. Use this time to get some sleep."

"But..." Lilly, the knight, started.

"Ah, I won't have it. That's a direct order, get some sleep." She said, a hint of kindness in her tone.

"Of course, your Highness." Lilly said, bowing her head.

Lilly turned to leave before stopping and looking up into the moonless night, a far-off rumble could be heard being carried by the wind. Although it sounded to be far away, the knights surrounding the Princess instinctively placed their hands on the hilts of their swords. Following the deep sound were high pitched screeches, the horses began to whinny and paw the ground in irritation.

An apprehensive look appeared on Alessandria's face. "Lilly, be careful tonight, ok?"

…..

A strong breeze blew by; the chill it brought with it causing the people to huddle closer together. Most everyone was only wearing nightgowns or just whatever they could grab. No one spoke, quiet sobbing could be heard as mothers held their children closely, trying to share their warmth and to comfort them while holding back their own tears. A few men were desperately trying to start a fire, but the wood was much too wet to hold a flame.

Only a handful of people were dressed in leather armor and carrying weapons, they were walking along the outside of the huddled throng of people, keeping their exhausted eyes on the quickly brightening horizon. A smaller group of people were idling off to the side, three teenagers, a very tired looking woman, and a man that seemed to have a permanent scowl plastered on his face.

"You want me to what?" Professor Kal asked, rhetorically. "You want me to help them? I think letting them follow us this far is help enough don't you think?"

There were nearly fifty people sitting out in the open, all survivors from Swayzee that had followed them as they made their way out of the village. The only thing remaining were piles of smoldering embers just one mile behind them, the smoke still clearly visible. They mostly consisted of civilians, not accustomed to life outside in the wild. Only five adventurers made it out with them as most of them were either killed or taken away by the demons.

"We can't just leave them out here, they'll die!" Ryan cried, red in the face. He had been arguing with the Professor for the better part of an hour, trying to convince him to at least escort them all to the next town.

Rubbing his temples, Professor Kal let out an exceptionally long sigh. "I. DO. NOT. CARE. How do you not understand that? There's nothing in it for me. Why should I go out of my way to help them?"

A look of disbelief was on Ryan's red face, he couldn't believe what he had just said. Ben and Laura were walking away from them, shaking their heads. Professor Treffle was sitting on a rock, picking dirt from under her nails, seemingly not caring either way.

Ryan took a few steps closer, in a hushed voice he declared an ultimatum. "I won't be your apprentice from here on out then!"

Professor Kal crossed his arms and turned up his nose. "Fine, see if I care."

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With those words, Ryan performed an about face and walked over to Ben and Laura. "We're going to help them to the next town."

They both slowly nodded before Laura spoke. "Is…... is Professor Kal coming?"

"I don't know, and I don't care." Ryan said resolutely. "Either way, Professor Treffle will be with us, so it doesn't matter. I'll go tell them."

Ryan then marched over to where the survivors were still trying to light a fire. He quickly cast a simple fire spell engulfing the damp kindling in flames. Seeing the flames catch, Ryan raised his voice so that everyone could hear him. "Rest here for a little bit, then we'll start heading towards the next town."

While Ryan was speaking to the villagers, Ben turned towards Laura. "What's gotten into him? Since when is he like this?"

"I don't know." Laura answered honestly. "Maybe seeing everything changed him?"

What they had all witnessed last night was extremely traumatic. It wasn't just the constant pressure from the demons, or even the amount of blood and gore. That's not to say that that didn't bother them, but it wasn't more than they could manage. It was the human suffering that had changed them all.

They couldn't count the times they seen people running to them only to be set upon by a demon, screaming for help as they disappeared into the night. Or the children refusing to leave their burning homes, wailing for their 'mommy' or 'daddy' before being consumed by the flames. Adventurers and guards alike fighting for their lives, and the lives of their friends and family, only to be toyed with by the demons, laughing as they killed them slowly and without mercy.

They wanted to help them but were powerless to do so. They had pleaded with Professor Kal to do something, but he had refused to. He had told them that if he did, they too could be killed, or the people they were already escorting through the burning hellscape. He explained that they couldn't save everyone, and to try to would only end up hurting more people than it helped.

They couldn't argue with his logic, deep down they knew he was right. Even someone as powerful as Professor Kal couldn't guarantee that he could protect everyone. They could only watch an increasing number of people die before their eyes, and with heavy hearts they moved on.

Ben agreed, he also felt like they needed to help them now more than ever. Like it was their responsibility to look after them. "C'mon, let's help him out."

…..

After resting a few hours, the now refugees gloomily filed down the unpaved road. There was no argument when Ryan had asserted himself into the role of a temporary leader, not even from the few adventures. They seen that he was a mage, so had no issue with the arrangement. Ben, Laura, and even Professor Treffle performed healing magic on the ones that needed treatment. Laura especially was an enormous help in that department due to her affinity. By the time they set out, all four of them had earned the survivor's respect and trust.

Professor Kal still hadn't said a word since Ryan had threatened to pull his apprenticeship but was still circling within eyesight of the group. It wasn't lost to Ryan that he was following them as they walked towards the next town in silence.

They moved on, none of them speaking a word to each other, only the shuffling of tired feet on the dirt road could be heard. After several hours, their paces slowed noticeably, prompting Ryan to call for a break. The people held no possessions, some didn't even have shoes on their feet, all they could do was find the least dirty area to lay down in.

They had no food or water, the five adventures volunteered to brave the woods nearby and hopefully find something to eat. Ryan, along with his classmates and Professor Treffle, conjured water via magic, adding onto their own exhaustion, but allowing everyone to at least not die of dehydration.

Laura walked over to where Ryan was catching his breath, plopping down next to him. "We can't keep going like this. We've barely covered any ground and it's still more than four days to the next town."

Ryan said nothing, he just gave a slight nod while Laura noticed a single tear roll down his cheek, leaving a trail of clean skin as it did so. She put her hand over his, trying to at least provide him some level of comfort.

"I'm sorry." He said in a quiet voice, using his other arm to wipe his face. "I just wanted to help them... help someone." He looked at his grime covered hands. "What good is magic if it can't help anyone?"

She didn't have an answer. She just sat quietly by while he vented his frustrations to her. After a few minutes, they noticed the sound of footsteps coming from behind them, accompanied by a voice Ryan didn't want to hear. "Look at this sorry lot."

"Shut up!" Ryan hissed, not even bothering to turn his head. "You could help them all if you wanted to, send them all back to the capital with your Gate. Instead, you're letting them all suffer, letting US suffer. All because you don't feel like it?! You're a real bastard, you know!"

"First of all, ouch. Those words sting you know?" Professor Kal teased in an exaggerated tone of voice. "Secondly, Warp Gate doesn't work that way. The further the distance the greater the amount of mana required. I wouldn't be able to transport anyone other than myself that far. And finally, Mr. Do-good, I've decided to lend you my assistance."

Ignoring most of everything that was said, Ryan latched onto the last part. "You will?! Did you finally find some traces of life in that cold heart of yours?"

"What is it with you and the insults all of a sudden?" Professor Kal exclaimed. "We'll have to remedy that, and no, I just can't stand looking at this sorry sight any longer."

By this time Ryan had gotten to his feet, clearly in a much better mood than before, much to the relief of Laura who was standing next to him. "Well, whatever. How are you going to help?"

Professor Kal stuck his thumb out, using it to point towards the woods behind him some one-hundred yards away. "Starting out, I thought I'd let you know that we've got company."

…..

A light tapping sound was heard from the slightly ajar door, capturing Dean Petticoat's attention. Looking up, he seen his secretary, Minnie. Having been acknowledged, she timidly walked to his large desk and silently placed a letter on it before leaving just as quickly. Dean Petticoat shook his head, Minnie had always been like that, incredibly quiet and shy. She had been his secretary for the past several years, and yet she would still barely hold a conversation, even with him.

Turning his attention to what was placed on his desk, he seen a white envelope trimmed with gold leaf and the Royal seal taking up much of the center. His mood soured as he slumped in his chair. He'd had enough to worry about with running the academy, he dreaded to think of what the letter had in store for him.. Letting out a reluctant sigh, he reached for letter.

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